February 10, 2005

on Stylus Studio and Oxygen -- Suddenly I'm a man with two tool-based love affairs going at once

You know I really don't know how to say the above statement in a way that doesn't take on a sort of kinky connotation while at the same time showcase the fact that I have discovered that I am quickly developing a relationship with Stylus Studio while still maintaing my commitment to OxygenXML as strong as it has ever been.

Is it possible to have an effective relationship with two tools at the same time without wavering in favor of one or the other in a moment of passion where you declare to the current tool in use that you are madly and forever devoted to it and it alone?

In all honestly -- I am beginning to believe that you can.

OxygenXML and Stylus Studio, at least in what I have discovered over the last few days, are both *VERY* good at their primary purpose and, at least in my particular case, what they are both very good at are two very different and yet very necessary aspects of XML software development. While I doubt highly I will ever give up Oxygen as my daily "workhorse" providing services for a majority of XML development needs I have discovered that Stylus Studio reaches a level of hard core detail fine tuning that in many ways is simply remarkable. If I were to list just one reason for each tool as to why I feel so strongly on this matter they would be as follows:

- Oxygen has a simple, clean, intuitive interface which is *EXTREMELY* powerful and integrates perfectly with Eclipse, providing a relaxing colorset that simply makes you feel at ease while working.

- Stylus Studio might as well be called "Swiss Army Knife Studio" as there is not one thing it does not have the capability to do. From analyzing and viewing your XML, Stylesheets, and now XQuery in any which way you could ever want to, digging down into the heart of a transformation for performance tuning in ways you didn't even realize was possible.

In many ways Oxygen is to RelaxNG what Stylus Studio is to Dimitres FXSL stylesheet library. Oxygen to me just feels comfortable and right much in the same way RelaxNG feels comfortable and right. Stylus Studio on the other hand has literally thought of everything you could ever need for XML/XSL/XPath/XQuery development much in the same way Dimitre has thought of everything you could ever need for XML transformation development bringing XSLT to the level of Turing completeness and beyond, especially in the 2.0 based libraries. While it would be difficult to be as cleanly designed as Oxygen, Stylus Studio has done a fairly nifty job of taking a billion utility tools and placing them into a location that doesnt require a whole set of specialty devices just to gain access to the specialty devices contained in the tool -- much like the Swiss Army Knife.

In conlusion, while I may have a bit of a *GULP* at the end of my trial month when I hand over my $500+ dollars (compared to $100+/- a few bucks depending on quantity and/or upgrade discounts for Oxygen) to purchase Stylus Studio I am sensing that it will be 500 bucks well invested into the "dig deep into the details" tuning of my future xml, stylesheets, and xquery files. You never know, maybe if I batt my eyelids and make kissy faces (none of which, I should add, George required of me when he donated 10 Oxygen licenses to the Saxon.NET project last year ;) :D) I can find my way into gaining some "extending viewing" privileges for the Saxon.NET team as well :D

I know what your're thinking, and you're right, I have no pride ;) But I think if you spent the amount of time I do with XML/XSL/etc... on a daily basis and you suddenly find that what little was missing from your relationship with Oxygen can be found in rich and overflowing treasure in Stylus Studio and yet Oxygen will still let you back in the door when you return from your "extra-curricular-activitees" with Stylus you just might be losing a bit of that pride yourself.

Oxygen -- already a *MANDATORY* element of my development day
Stylus Studio -- Quicking taking its place right along-side Oxygen
Both -- have a *VERY* bright future in my XML toolbox

The End.